A432

aarrgghh

Q n' A

Is it hard? > No, but I had a lift
Is it easy? > No, especially if you think jack stands are where it's at, I'd say moderate on a lift, hard on jack stands plus you better be gumby on your back
Why is it challenging on jack stands? > Because the bracket change is located on top of the transmission near the intake tube and you need weird angles even on a lift (see pic)
How long did it take you? > About 8 hours with a lift but I also did a transmission fluid change and a cable mount at the firewall to clear my interseries big pulleys and that includes the interior disassembly/assembly
How is the feel difference? > If the Miata is a 10 and the Cayman is a 7 stock, it's about an 8.5 now and dead quiet, I have the factory short shifter and am happy with it now.
Any suggestions if I want it to feel closer to the Miata? > With either the GT3 shifter (metal pivot) or the Function First shift right, all metal internal mod, it could be a 9-10 out of 10 (noticed the FF mod is on sale through 12/2)
Why not just do Numerics? > Because I wanted a silent NVH from the whine of the transmission that sometimes is transmitted with Numerics and the new brackets/cables should resolve the angle issue
But my Numerics are quiet > I know, I didn't want to have to keep trying to get them quiet with insulation and re-trys
Would you recommend Porsche does it for me? > If you don't have a lift, yes
How much does Porsche want? > About $720 for the kit and $700-$800 for the labor https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/987SCAB.html
Shouldn't this be a warranty issue? > Yes, good luck
Why is the new kit better? > The left side mount bracket holds the cable at a more gradual angle and the left side pivot bracket has a more direct angle on the attachment. The feel is that the cables aren't fighting resistance. (see pics)
Any tricks to the install if I can find a lift? > Yes, unclip the circular clutch line and push it down out of the way, that opens up more angles and clearance. Use a long screwdriver for leverage and engaging the cable clips.
What tools do I need for the new brackets? > An E12 Torx with an extension for the left mount bracket and a 13mm for the left pivot bracket
Anything else you'd recommend while doing this? > Yes, beside the metal internals shifters, replace your shifter cable ends and replace your fluid with the expensive ($55) Synthetic Mobil 1 Delvac
The cable ends loosen over time and the stock trans. fluid has too much friction modifier in it which causes the synchros to slip, lengthening shift time. Even a bigger benefit if you have a limited slip diff.
https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/SKU9XXCABLE.html
https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/99642414700.html
https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/DELVAC.html

A432

New bracket on the right

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New bracket on the left

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New brackets installed with internal/external loctite

Marine Blue

Thank you for posting this, I know many of us have been contemplating doing the same and I was personally curious if this offered any benefits other than being more reliable than the original cables. Knowing that the shift feel improved that much has me very hopeful. I just picked up a GT3 shifter which will be going in very soon. I'm not ready to do these cables but at least now I know the crazy cost is worth it.

A432

You're welcome. I think you'll be very happy with the GT3 shifter (metal pivot) and the new cables/mounts.

brandonecpt

This has me a little worried as I'm planning to do Numeric cables and shifter in a couple of weeks over Christmas vacation. I don't have a lift, but fortunately this also isn't my first time turning a wrench either. I talked to another Spyder owner who said this was roughly a 10 hour job for him without a lift, though I do have at least one extra set of hands to help wrench, too.

The Spyder is a bit easier to access the engine I think, when doing some scouting I got to the engine cover in about 5 min with just plastic clips. The shift tunnel should be the same no matter the model.

I guess I didn't realize where the linkage was or how tough it would be to access.

Fingers crossed.

A432

There are a few people who've done the Numerics on stands on the forums so it's doable.
Really don't need the second guy, the issue is getting your eyes and arms to get to the correct angles to have leverage etc.
You can feel most of what you need to do without seeing it, just give yourself time if it ends up being longer than planned.

MrMoose

The Numerics are a bit easier than this because you use the existing shift bracket parts. That looks like the most challenging bit of installing the new Porsche cables in this writeup: I'd hate to have to remove those two bits while lying on my back under the car.

If you've got some experience working on cars the Numerics aren't too bad at all on jack stands (I think it took me about 4-5 hours and I'm no pro.) Nothing too tricky, just a lot of parts to take off and put back on. Make sure you have the special wrench.

brandonecpt

Which one? The Numeric wrench? This guy?

https://numericracing.com/store/wrench/

A432

Yes, you only need it for the Numeric cables though.

brandonecpt

Perfect, just making sure that's the only unique/proprietary tool. I have it ready to go. Thanks!

brandonecpt

OK, did my cables and the Numeric shifter over the weekend. 6.5-7 hours in total, shifter feels great. My stock cables seemed perfectly fine after pulling them but I'll rest easier knowing these shouldn't break on me anytime soon. I did notice the reverse selector cable at the transmission end did snap on much easier than the gear selector cable on the driver's side at the transmission, hopefully that doesn't come loose.

I also borrowed a QuickJack for the install, it was glorious. I'll absolutely be picking a up a setup for myself.

Rlazer3

BlueBoxter

Thank you for the very informative post and pictures.

Did my 987.2 Base Boxster with 40K km a month ago.

Decided to go with just updated Porsche cables as they where available at the dealership and the parts department never heard about new brackets. It works just fine with the old brackets and, I hope, will last longer then the old model, as the cables themselves are supposed to be beefier. I just couldn't see how to get at the brackets from my back and I thought one of them was riveted.

Didn't have a luxury of the lift so did it on the stands in my office garage to the amusement of my co-workers

The new cables do feel better. Shifter upgrade is next. Would you recommend GT3 shifter or Function First - Shift Right?

The tips from my experience: I used the bike pedal wrench to pop off the old cables from transmission. It gave a great leverage in the limited space.

The hardest part was to pop the new cable into the bracket on the driver side. It just wouldn't go and I was about to "throw the wrench in" because I thought it was not compatible with the old bracket. Then I used a small crow bar as a lever and it just popped in.

It totally should be a warranty issue and I had quite an emotional interaction with Porsche Canada and hope they will reimburse the cable cost as I have heard they did for some people who complained a lot.

I just bought the car used and drove it for a few weeks before the cable snapped on the highway leaving me stuck in first gear.

When I was buying the new cables from the dealership I asked them to print the service records which I just stuffed in my bag. After I spent 6 hours changing the cables I got myself a coffee and went through the records.

To my amusement I found out that my 2012 Boxster has another year of CPO warranty! You can imagine how I felt

People say you don't know when the cables would snap, however I had an excessive fore-aft free play in a shifter which could be explained by the cable stretching before it broke.